The last Wild-Card game of the NFL weekend was Wild, (Excuse the pun, it’s a joke) with the 6th seeded Dawg Pound visiting the 3rd ranked Black and Yellow in Pittsburgh, for a rematch of week 16, where the Browns pulled off a W for their 1st playoff appearance since 2002; ironically, that game too was against the Steelers. The longest running rivalry in the AFC has the Steelers leading, 77–61–1. But instead of the Turnpike, the Browns traveled on two separate planes and without head coach, Kevin Stefanski, (Covid 19) and starters, Ward and Bitinio into the biggest game Northeast Ohio has seen since Thursday, November 3rd, 2016. Vegas had already spotted the Brownies +5, than Pouncey and Ben awarded them an additional 6 on the first play of the game, snapping the ball over a 6’5’’ QB in shotgun and Karl Joseph falling out of a boat and hitting water. You could say, “The stars were aligned,” or maybe it was just, “Law of averages,” (Since Roethlisberger 25-3-1) but the Orange and Brown continued to blow the barn doors off! By halftime the scoreboard at Heinz Field cried out, Browns 35, Steelers 10. Was this a bad trip watching an Outer Limits re-run, die-hard Pitt fans conjured, while their insides twisted; sweating in places they shouldn’t, in what was sure to be a tune-up game?
Nope, it was the nightmare of 2020 coming to your front door! Is this house, “Protected,” questioned a number 1 pick with swagger yet to prove himself? JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh’s go to veteran receiver, had this to say before the game, “I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think they’re nameless gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns.” To get beat by such an inferior opponent must be eating up JuJu, that and his 157 yards and TD were meaningless, unless he selected himself on Draft Kings. After the defeat he had no regrets and was humble, a gentleman, with this statement, “Hopefully, the same Browns show up against the next opponent, and they go out there and do the same thing they did tonight and have a hell of a game.”
To quote Skip, “Let’s be clear for the record,” Big Ben is always good for a turnover or 2, but 4 interceptions, C’Mon Man! Maybe the fact the Steelers are last in the league in rushing, lost 5 of their last 6 games, and key players sat out last week’s finale, should be attributed to Browns victory before I go all Baker hat backwards on Colin. This was not the 11-0 juggernaut the NFL saw early but a team that looked like they deserved dessert before their dinner. Send those kids to bed early.
Was this Mayfield’s coming out party, as a franchise QB, a blue collar Football Jesus to a flock of never say die, East to West-siders on Lake Erie, chanting, “Here we go Brownies, Here we go?” At least for the week, and “We’ll wait ‘til next year,” but the young gunslinger hasn’t been errant of late, throwing 21-34, 263 yards, 3 TD’s, and no picks last night. He played with poise, making moves with his legs, and going to the all-pro LSU tiger for 92 yards and a TD. Screen passes to the best backfield in the NFL finally materialized along with the 1st playoff win since 1994! The 1st overall, Oklahoma Sooner, came to a team with 1 win in 2 years, 4 different head coaches, a franchise with a storied past but a laughable expansion experiment since 1999 and he delivered, early, through the pandemic. Baker is Cleveland, his working class hardhat and packed lunch first surfaced when he walked on at Texas Tech and won the starting job. Then sitting out a full year and winning the starting job at Oklahoma, plus a Heisman. He slammed a beer at The Jake, in a Tribe jersey (LeBron), and let C-town know, he can smell his own. In addition, he gets intoxicated in public and runs from the cops, deeming him, “Undraftable,” by Colin Cowherd. Check that box. Did we underappreciate the fact he won his 1st playoff game and it was against the Steelers? I think I was in too much shock last night to really give him props for not cracking against that vicious D, without his mentor, Stefanski, and “Insure” the Win when no one thought we had a shot in hell of pulling off the upset. My hats off to you Baker, or backwards, you smell like the Big BM!
I’m sure, not just I can see that yes, Baker has been better, but a lot kudos goes to that new Offensive Line of Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, and JC Tretter. With their protection we don’t see Baker’s happy feet as much and the run game has flourished behind the two-headed monster of Chubb and Hunt. The Browns front did the job precisely as Pro’s should; prepared, confident, and proud. I know they lack sex appeal but I see a Progressive commercial in their future, beats buying them all Rolexes, and helps with their brands as well, merchandising one could call it.
Two things that go together like Stadium Mustard and hotdogs, is the dawgs in the backfield. Their college mascots, Toledo Rockets and Georgia Bulldogs, really fit their mantra. They’re tough as hell hounds shooting through the D-line and have established a “Run first” identity. Last night they combined for 124 yards on 26 attempts, averaging 4.75 a carry, had 72 yards receiving, and 3 TD’s. Their ability to grind out opponents and the clock is a recipe for wins.
This AFC Wild Card game was one for the ages! A team that’s hype train derailed last year was conducted this year, 11-5, by such a stabilizing, cool headed, rock, coach of the year candidate in Stefanski, the fact the team didn’t lose the their character under extreme circumstances without him is remarkable! Going up against one of the most substantial and solid coaches in Mike Tomlin and not being intimidated or out matched was impressive. At the end of the day, Browns beat the pants off the Steelers 48-37, left Ben crying alone on the bench, and secured a trip to Kansas City next Sunday to face the best.
Respect has been reciprocated from the Steelers and the league but the Dawg Pound, CANNOT, get embarrassed by Patrick and the Mahomies, or we’ll be dinged as Wild Card Trash. This team is yet to play its best game but the question remains; can the Browns do what only the Raiders and Chargers have done? Can they stick to the run down 20 and grind? They won’t win a shootout, so I advise more of the same, pound the rock, screens, slants, and some play-action. They used a lot of luck up in Pittsburgh and will have to call on “Brownie the Elf,” to help with the chores at Arrowhead. Either way, it’s all house money at this point, and that, might have you feeling Dangerous!
